Cape Town – Four abalone poachers swam out of the sea and made a run for it before one was apprehended by South African National Parks (SANParks) rangers during the Easter weekend.
SANParks on Monday said rangers at Garden Route National Park stationed at the Tsitsikamma section of the park suspected a poaching activity at Grootbank (Forest Hall), on the western side of Nature’s Valley.
“After noticing the patrol underway, four divers emerged from the sea and started running,” SANParks said in a statement.
“Rangers immediately called for backup, and prompt response of additional rangers, South African Police Service (SAPS) Plettenberg Bay, and DFFE Gqeberha led to the apprehension of one suspect after a chase.
“Unfortunately, the other three suspects ran into the thicker forest area, which made it difficult to continue their pursuit.”
SANParks said the suspect – a 44-year-old man from Jeffrey’s Bay – was detained at the Plettenberg Bay Police Station, in the Western Cape.
The suspect was found with 34 kg of abalone with an estimated street value of R62 333.
“SANParks encourages the public to report any suspicious activities that may threaten our wildlife and protected areas,” said the statement attributed to JP Louw: SANParks Head of Communications.
